Slack-adjuster.



A. R.. DUFFY. SLAGK ADJUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE z, `1910.

Pgtented Sept. 13, 1910.

NVE/? A Atlarnqyl 4 As best shown in Fig. 1, -one of the rod rovided atits inner end with. a portion a, o angular form in cross-section,

'UMTED STATES PATENT onirica.

Lv-IN RAY DUFFY, ,or MANHATTAN, KANSAS."

sLaoK-ADJUsrrER. y

My invention pertains to railway brakes and particularly to slackadjusters; and it consists in the peculiar and advanta eous slackadjuster hereinafter described an delinitely claimed.

' In the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specificationF1 re 1 is a view illustrative of an outsi e brake ui ed with m imvrovernent. Fig. 2 iovibpan inside Qbrakgsimilarly equipped. 2 Fig. 2*is a detail sectionillu'strating the ar- -4"fr-iin ement of the teethand pawls 'of the slac adjuster Aand retainer in the install- -mentshown in Fig. 2. Fig, 3-is an enlarged detail view of theconnectionbetween the rod #gestions of the retainer for limitingmovement of the brake'shoesaway from the treads ``of the wheels. Fig. 4:is a similar view of the construction between therod sections of theslacladjuster. .r

Referring by letter. to the' said drawings and more particularl thereof:A A are the rake beams B B, the brake shoes; C the-dead lever; D`, thebrake lever, and E, the brake rod of an outside brakel installationwhich may be of the con- ,ventional construction illustrated or of any"Sother construction consonant with the pur- 'poses ofrny inventionwithout involvingdeparture lfrom'the spirit of the same.

In carrying o ut my invention, atractile reg solea'se spring Fisconnectedzat one end to the fupper'portlon of the brakelever D and atits opposite end to a suitable support G, and rod sections- H areconnected'at their outer ends tothe lower ends of the levers C and D, sWhile rod'sections I are connected at their outer ends to the beams A.'

sections H is 4 bearing ratchet teeth b, and' the other rod section H isprovided on its inner portion with "a housing c, havingan interior ofangular l.form 1n cross-section, to receive the toothed portion a, andalsohaving a vertically-dis osed aperture e in its upper wall f.

5,5 The saidp aperture e holds and guides a rec- Sinecitlcatlon o fLetters Patent. Application led Iune, 1910. Serial No. 564,674.'

-aalike the said'portion a., andthe other rd to Figs. 1, 3 and 4APatented sept. i3, 191e.

tilinearly movable pawlg that is backed by a spring h, connected 'to thetop of the housing c. l

One rod section. I of theretainer is provided at its inner end with atoothed portion section I-is provided'at its inner end with a portion i,of angular form-in cross-section,

o n which is arranged. to slide Within certain- 'limits a housing c,This housing e is simi- 6.5 lar to the before mentioned housing c, withthe exception'that it isfprovided in Opposite Walls with longitudinalslots j to `receive lateral studs la on the 'portion z', this to pei'mitof the mentioned-limited 4sliding movement 70 of the housing 0 on theangular portion z', While preventing turning of ',the housing about saidportion an If it be' assumedgin practice that the brake 1s v ery slack,'it will be understood thatin 75 setting up thebrake, the rod sections"of the reta1ner, F1g. 3 will .be pushed inward Aor toward each-otherfrom the brake beams. Then when the brake is released, the oonnebtionshown in Fig, 3 will permit the brake 80 shoes to `fal1 away from thewheels a slight distance, say one inch. Then the traotile spring pullsthe brake lever back and also pulls the retainer in the same direction,and,

at the same time, pushes the slack adjuster in the opposite directionand takes -up the slack, with the result thatwhen 'the-brake is nextapplied, the shoes hanging about one inch from the wheels and this levertraveling l to aboutcenter, will give a l=the powerthe equipment iscapable of atrdingl" 'A The inside if construction'vl 'h'own in Figs.'

2 and 2a is similar 'to that-shown in Figs. 1,

3 and 4, with the exception thatthe dea'd lever C2 andthe brake leverlD2 as Well as 95 the brake beams A2 are located between the pairs ofwheels, and the rod sections H2 of the slack adjuster are shorterthanfthe rod sections and thev 'rodscct-ions I2 of the retainer areshorter than the rodfsections I 10.0 while the teeth of the toothedsections and' v 'the pawls are reversed, Fig. .2, as compared with theteethl of the rod sections and pawls in the slack adjuster' and retainerof Figs. 1 ,3and4.. V l,

- It will be gathered from the'foregoing that every `moving part of myimprovementv is protected' from dust, mud, iceand allother substanceslikely to im ede the free working thereof; also, that al of the parts 110 are Well adapted to withstand .the shocks turefandasprin i ccnneiied tthe housing 25 and strains to which devices of correspondand .backingVsai pawl; and a retainer exinfr character are ordinarily subjected.tending) between and connected with the tlWhile I have shown anddescribed two brake ams andcom'prising a rod section crms of myinvention, it is to be underhaving a portion, of angular form incrossstood that I am not limited to the details or section, bearingteeth, a second rod section 30 the form or relative arrangement of.parte having a portion of angular form in crossdisclosed, but thatmodifications may be section and lateral studs thereon,.ahousing, madetherein, Without departing from the "interiorly oangular form incross-section, spirit thereof. l slidably arranged on said angularportion Havin described my invention, `what I and receiving thetoothedportion of the 35 elaine an desire to secure by Letterselatent,other section and having longitudinaljslo'ts 1s receiving said studs andals'cihavi'n" an aper- The combination with brake mechanism;A ture inits Wall, ajpayvl dispose insaid of a slack .adjuster extending betweenand aperture, and a spring.'connected "to 'the connected to the lowerportions of the brake housing and backingthe pavvLf '4 vv40 lever' anddead lever and comprising .a rod In testimony whereof L havehereuntofset section having a portion, of angular form my hand Vinpresence oftwo subscribing'vvt ,in cross-section, bearing teeth, asecond rodi nesses.

section having a housing interiorly of angup 5 l 4 I i, l lar form incross-section and receiving-the DFH@ Y toothed portion of vthefirst-named rod sec- Witnesses: f A

tion, and also having an aperture in the Wall Ronfr. J. BUCK, y

of the housing, a pafwl disposed in said aper- HENRY OTTO.

